As I watched the Michigan and Michigan State football teams win this Saturday, I was faced with the disheartening realization that most Chippewas will never get to experience football and school spirit the same way that our neighboring Spartans and Wolverines will.

A sea of maize and blue filled The Big House as Michigan beat Ohio State University for the first time in almost 3,000 days. After the game, students rushed the field and celebrated with senior players as they finally broke the losing streak against their rival, potentially giving Michigan the opportunity to play in a Bowl Championship Series game.

The Spartans handled Northwestern University, securing a spot in the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin after having an admirable 10-2 season and winning the Big Ten Legends division.

While both U-M and MSU football programs found success in 2011, their victories bring back memories of the 2009 Central Michigan University season that now seems so long ago. For the first time in school history, our football program was nationally ranked, going undefeated in the Mid-American Conference and ending the season with a 11-2 record.

Who could possibly forget the 2009 nail-biter between CMU and MSU, where CMU edged out a victory in East Lansing with a last-second field goal? I attended the game and remember cheering at the top of my lungs, more than proud of my school’s unexpected victory.

Any prestige the Chippewa football team once held seems dead and gone, but the football program isn’t to blame. The most noticeable problem is with school spirit, or should I say, the absence of school spirit.

By the fourth quarter of most CMU 2011 football games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, no more than a few hundred students were usually in the stands. Throughout my time at CMU, I had never seen so many of my friends and peers act so unenthusiastic about attending the games, which unlike MSU and U-M games, are entirely free.

Looking back to the 2008 and 2009 seasons when the Chippewas found success on the football field, I remember one key difference — football games were actually fun.

After three years of the strict tailgating policies implemented in 2009, Parking Lot 63 is largely empty on gameday. I remember my freshman year when four or five rows of the parking lot were guaranteed to be packed with thousands of students, most of whom would attend the game.

Even the historic rivalry between the CMU and Western Michigan football teams has dissipated, and excitement for the match-up that was once seen is now overshadowed by the massive police presence during the weekend.

I’m assuming the tailgating policies have prevented more than underaged drinking and the over-intoxication of the student body. Imagine Coach Dan Enos inviting potential recruits to a home game and having to explain why only a few hundred members of the on-campus student body, which amounts to more than 21,000, are in attendance for most games.

While MSU and U-M have no common area for students to tailgate, they are allowed to gather before games in their university’s attire and enjoy themselves, a privilege that CMU used to give students.

I understand that the university is seeking to reduce the number of accidents on gameday, but the consumption of alcohol by college students is inevitable. For many students, removing the ability to drink before games simply eliminates their desire to go.

As I remember my freshman and sophomore year, it saddens me to know that many younger students may not see the school spirit that CMU once displayed.

Attendance was high for tailgate over the weekend as a large showing of former Chippewas helped to fill the lot space before the Homecoming game against Eastern Michigan University. Though the Chippewas may not have fared well against Eastern, the lot showed signs of hope instead of the usual sparse numbers of tailgaters.

Troy sophomore Kaitryn McGaffey said the lot looked more crowded than usual, because of the large alumni showing. McGaffey said she rarely attends the tailgate at Lot 63 and usually spends the time before the game at Main Street, a tradition started by many students after the tailgating policy change in 2009.

“The Homecoming tailgate was really fun this year,” McGaffey said. “I’ve only been to two other tailgates at the lot and it was definitely more crowded than it was last year.”

Rochester Hills senior Danny Featherstone spent the Homecoming tailgate in the alumni lot near Rose Pond with his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. Featherstone said the fraternity tried holding a tailgate in the student lot for the first home game of the year, but it resulted in disappointment.

“I understand restrictions need to be made to keep everyone safe, but they’ve taken it too far for students,” Featherstone said. “We’ve had a lot more fun in the alumni lot than in the student lot.”

Featherstone said because of the fence and police presence, many students, especially those under 21, feel intimidated to attend the Lot 63 tailgate.

“(The rules) scared everyone away that isn’t 21 because they assume that the cops are going to watch them like a hawk,” Featherstone said. “When there’s only a couple hundred people at the lot, (the police) can tell pretty easily who is 21 and who isn’t.”

But for some students, attending tailgate still isn’t worth their time, even on Homecoming Weekend.

Allen Park junior William Pfafflin only attended one tailgate this year and said he was disappointed with his decision. Pfafflin said the quantity of police and lack of students in attendance make it hard for students to enjoy themselves in the parking lot.

“We usually just end up going straight to the game,” Pfafflin said. “Police have been making it impossible for students to have fun, and none of my friends think it’s worth it to go anymore.”

This becomes even more apparent during Homecoming Weekend. Alumni come back to celebrate before the football game and head back to Lot 63 where they see only a vague resemblance to what happened during their time as students.

The regulations — including a ban on glass bottles and pets, rules for sound systems and a limit on the quantity of alcoholic beverages one person can bring into the lot – destroyed tailgating at CMU.

While last year’s Homecoming tailgate brought the highest number of students since the rules were established, that number dwindled when it came to Western Weekend, a time when tailgate used to thrive.

While they drew big crowds, the two tailgates do not rival the tailgates of 2008, before the rules were established.

While law enforcement was prevalent, there wasn’t a feeling of being baby-sat as security guards sat at every entrance and barricades forced. Fans got excited for the game and brought that into Kelly/Shorts Stadium, creating a fired-up atmosphere.

Although the rules themselves are not especially restrictive, the fact that there are rules, and posts of police officers enforcing them, spoiled tailgating for the entire campus.

As a matter of fact, tailgating has been so thoroughly destroyed by the rules, that if they were repealed, tailgating would likely still not recover. The majority of current students don’t remember the larger tailgates from before the rules, so the tradition of a massive party in the parking lot exists largely in the memories of upperclassmen and alumni.

So why not repeal them? At this point, what harm could it do?

In 2010, Athletics upped the cost of security from $10,000 to $20,000. At the time they spent more than $4,000 a game just to watch a few students calmly tailgate.

This year the results have been much of what was experienced during 2010, as students have decided to go to Main Street and the surrounding areas before the game.

Making tailgate look less like a war zone, with barricades surrounding students on all sides, might be the first step. It’s not appealing to anyone to be forced inside a box, while just a stone’s throw away families and CMU alumni sit in their vehicles grilling, preparing in a atmosphere that looks a little more like an actual tailgate.

Allowing students a chance to enjoy themselves in a free and open environment could save a CMU tradition, but right now tailgate seems long gone.

Frey said the FA is not any closer to an agreement with the administration and fact-finding begins this Wednesday.

“CMU FA bargaining team (is) still very interested in sitting down across the table from the administration,” Frey said. “We want to bargain now — we want good faith bargaining and we want a fair and equitable contract.”

Thousands of students witnessed the picket and the sound of cheers could be heard from far away.

St. Joseph sophomore Caitlin Larson saw the picket and said she’s in support of the faculty.

“I believe that if they want something and they’ve been working so hard for it, that they deserve it,” Larson said.

West Bloomfield senior Hayley Sitron also supports the FA, however only to a certain extent.

Sitron said the FA did not show their dedication to the students when they did not show up on the first day of classes.

“If my teachers didn’t show up and I wouldn’t be able to graduate in May like I’m supposed to, I’d be pretty upset,” Sitron said.

Because of the original temporary restraining order, faulty have been back in the classroom. However, Frey said with or without the injunction from last Friday, they agreed to return.

“We agreed to return to the classroom and not engage in another work stoppage for the duration of fact-finding up to 20 business days after fact-finding report,” she said. “It’s semantically a manipulation for the administration to go around saying the judge ordered us.”

FA member Jeff Smith participated in the Thursday picket in hopes to show the community the FA’s determination.

“We want a fair contract, we want the administration to come back to the bargaining table,” Smith said. “That’s where we’ve always wanted them.”

Frey said she hopes the community understands how strong the faculty is and how much they care about standing up for what is right.

“We are doing this on behalf of the best future possible for CMU,” she said.

Celsi said she was surprised by how few people turned out to tailgate outside Kelly/Shorts Stadium before the Central Michigan University football team took on South Carolina State in the first home game of the season.

“CMU used to be known for its tailgate and every group on campus was represented — now, there’s no one here,” Celsi said. “Even Main Street was dead today.”

Tyler Wardle, Roseville sophomore and member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, was hanging out with friends outside his fraternity’s house at 906 S. Main St. Wardle and his friends were one of the few groups on Main Street.

“Today’s the day I’ve been waiting for all summer,” he said. “We’re starting on Main Street and heading over to tailgate later to support the CMU community.”

Wardle said he still has a good time at tailgate, despite the rule changes, and is excited for the season.

Saginaw senior Matt Mielock said he was disappointed to see so few students tailgate for the first home game.

“I don’t know if it’s still the tailgate rule changes, but students might be intimidated to come out because of them,” he  said.

Mielock said he usually goes to Main Street rather than the tailgate lot because it is more exciting.

CMU Alumni members also noticed the changes in the student tailgate atmosphere.

“The changed tailgate rules seem to have had a big impact for students,” said Joe Bowen, Mount Pleasant resident and 2003 CMU alumnus. “Nothing’s changed on our side, though. You can drink beer on the student side or you can come eat a real meal like shrimp cocktail and bruschetta on our side.”

Lloyd Sanders, Bay City resident and 1983 CMU alumnus, said he was wondering where all the students were. He said tailgate was a lot wilder when he was at CMU and there was more people and more partying.

“It sure has changed,” Sanders said. “It’s a lot more mellow, especially for opening day. The changes are good for less accidents, though.”

CMU Chief of Police Bill Yeagley said no new tailgate rules have been put into place this year. He said though attendance is down from previous years, medical runs are down, too.

There was five to 12 medical runs before changes to tailgating rules two years ago, he said.

He said he would love to see more students coming back out to tailgate.

“If they see what it’s actually like, they’d see it’s not so bad,” Yeagley said.

People take a break from tubing on the Chippewa River in August 2010 at Mill Pond Park. (File photo by Jeff Smith/Photo Editor)

More than 3,000 people have signed up to attend an all day tubing event Saturday on the Chippewa River.

The Facebook event, “Fillin up the Chip,” follows last year’s event organized by the same students that attracted 150 tubers. The creator of the event, a graduate student going by the name “Ruffio CrabTree,” said he wanted to start an annual trip that could become a tradition during welcome week. Though the name “CrabTree” does not appear in the CMU directory, the creator did not wish for his real name to be used.

“I don’t really care how many people show up as long as people are safe and have fun,” CrabTree said.

He said the trip should be a kind of floating tailgate, and he said there is no reason to be concerned about participants drinking too much, fighting or littering.

CrabTree said last year some participants were ticketed for littering and he has made an effort to promote tubers avoiding littering on the event’s page.

“Hopefully people will be respectful toward the environment and the river,” CrabTree said.

The event page encourages students to take closed-top plastic coolers and follow posted rules regarding littering.

CrabTree said the event has gained so much attention that local businesses have contacted him regarding possible cross-promotions.

Liz Busch, owner of Buckley’s Mountainside Canoes, 4700 West Remus Road, is concerned students will get hurt, even potentially die, at the event.

“Someone will die,” Busch said, “either through drunk driving, pedestrians being hit along the roadside and especially through alcohol poisoning and dehydration in the middle of a sea of tubes far from anyone sober to care for them or even with the means to.”

Busch is also concerned about potential environmental damage from the event. The day following the tubing, Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:0o p.m., Busch will be coordinating a volunteer effort to clean up the river. Busch said the event is not only linked to the tubing the day before.

“I think even under best case scenarios the river will need to be cleaned up a few times a year,” Busch said. ”A near the end of the summer clean-up is always necessary. I also thought it was important to go into the river as soon as possible after the event to collect debris before they are shifted down river too much and end up being irretrievable.”

Area police agencies wrote 105 alcohol-related citations this weekend, compared to 68 such citations in 2008. The Mount Pleasant Police Department wrote the bulk of the tickets — 77 for minors-in-possession and open intoxicants.

CMU Police handed out four MIPs at Friday’s tailgate and parties following the game. Sgt. David Coffman said it was just another football weekend for his department.

“There were enough police in the area to deal with the influx of football attendees,” he said.

The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department wrote 19 MIP citations and three open intoxicants and broke up 16 parties. Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said the weekend went well and agreed with Coffman about police having a grasp on the situation.

“The extra police officers were more of a deterrent,” Mioduszewski said. “They were highly visible.”

Mioduszewski said the sheriff’s department did not take a different approach than the MPPD, but student-heavy areas like Main Street fall into the city’s jurisdiction.

The MPPD pledged a heavy police presence following the Halloween weekend, said Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.

“The Mount Pleasant Police Department considers the Central Michigan University versus Western Michigan University weekend a success,” Browne said in a press release.

Agencies also wrote nine tickets for operating while intoxicated and 18 tickets for disorderly conduct.

Attempted robbery

An unknown suspect attempted to rob two victims at knifepoint 7:30 p.m. Friday outside Campbell Hall.

The suspect allegedly demanded the victim’s wallets and threatened them with a six-inch long knife, according to a CMU Police crime alert.

The Central Alert System sent out notifications at about 8:15.

The suspect was not successful and neither victim was injured. CMU Police have yet to identify a suspect or any persons of interest.

“The detective’s got it and he’s looking into it,” Coffman said.

The robbery attempt took place between Campbell Hall and lot 39, near the sand volleyball courts.

The suspect has been described as being about 6 feet tall and weighing between 200 and 220 pounds. He was dressed in all black, including a black, hooded sweatshirt and was wearing a “full face mask,” according to police.

Officers are still looking for witnesses or any information regarding the attempted armed robbery. Those with information are asked to call dispatch at 774-3081 or the tip line at 774-1874.

Clarkston senior Dave Barker said this was a poor turnout compared to previous years.

“There are more Broncos than Chippewas here today,” Barker said Friday. “It’s embarrassing.”

Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley said the turnout was larger than Homecoming but did not give number estimate.

“There were no major incidents, just a few minor injuries and one or two disorderly arrest,” Yeagley said. “I don’t know how many OWI’s or MIP’s have been issued yet either.”

Alumnus Josh Brogan said when he attended CMU, the lot was always packed full.

“We used to fill up eight rows of cars; now we only fill two,” he said. “Tailgate sucks now. It used to be so much better.”

Alumnus Paul Wozniak said one of the reasons the team has had a difficult season could be related to the current tailgate.

“No wonder the team is sucking this year,” he said, “there’s no one in the parking lot supporting them.”

Brogan said because of the new tailgating rules alumni are less inclined to attend.

Barker said the section of parking lot for away team fans was almost just as full as Lot 63.

Though there were nothing major happened for the CMU Police, Wozniak said the problem was the lack of CMU fans attending tailgate.

“The real problem is that there are more cops and Broncos than there are Central fans,” Wozniak said. “It’s embarrassing to think about.”

Most Michiganders were introduced to the Ann Arbor businessman during Super Bowl XLIV when Snyder played up the “nerd” persona.

“We can’t just fix it. We need to reinvent Michigan,” Snyder said in the commercial.

The spot, a one minute advertisement, highlighted Snyder’s three degrees, all acquired before age 23, his business background and his plans for Michigan.

The Republican race was dominated at the time by three “career politicians,” as Snyder called Attorney General Mike Cox, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Many Michiganders had never heard of Snyder.

But the Super Bowl ad changed all of that.

Into the race

Snyder has led by about 20 points in the polls since the Aug. 3 primary, but he is not campaigning as such. Town hall meeting attendees at Ottawa County Republican Headquarters gave Snyder a warm welcome Wednesday. He led the crowd, joking about the weather and employing his son on the campaign in order to keep him in the state.

He said the state’s lawmakers no longer have a sense of urgency for the state’s problems.

“We’ve been in crisis so long,” Snyder said, “we no longer act like we’re in crisis anymore.”

His Democratic opponent, Lansing mayor Virg Bernero, may have conducted a more emotional or passionate campaign, but Snyder has maintained levelheadedness.

State Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville, said that is true to his persona.

“He’s great,” Agema said. “His approach is representative to who he is. He’s very methodical, a numbers guy.”

An appearance Saturday in Mount Pleasant showed a bit more pep from both the candidate and his supporters, although the location may have been responsible: Central Michigan University tailgate.

Central Michigan University fans excitedly ran to approach the candidate at the afternoon event, where he posed for pictures and hugged supporters, calling him “Governor Snyder,” as shouts of “Good luck Tuesday,” were heard.

His running mate, state Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, is a CMU alumnus, who contributed to Agema’s assessment of the gubernatorial candidate.

“What you see on TV, commercials, Town Halls, it’s what you see all the time,” Calley said. “He’s professional, he thinks things through.”

Calley said Snyder also has an attitude of optimism — he believes in people and empowers them to make a difference.

Snyder doesn’t insist on getting all the credit for success, an approach the political system is lacking, Calley said.

“His attitude about not insisting on getting all the credit, and not being in the spotlight himself,” Calley said. “(Snyder) instead says we’re gonna spotlight Michigan and look for areas where we can work and win together, share credit, and at the end of the day, that’s what our political system really needs.”

‘The Nerd’ grows up

Snyder simultaneously worked as an accountant but left for Gateway, where he rose to CFO and interim CEO. He also served on the company board of directors before leaving to start-up several other business ventures.

He Snyder married his wife, Sue in 1987. Their three children are Jeff, an Albion College graduate; Melissa, a student at her father’s alma mater; and Kelsey, who is still in high school.

Snyder grew up in Battle Creek. After graduation, he was a teachers assistant and an adjunct professor of accounting at the University of Michigan.

He said, “I hope I didn’t put them to sleep.”